Rest Stop
by Happy-Moogle-Mustang
Summary: ZackxSephiroth angst. Oneshot songfic that I wrote instead of studying for my German test.


Holy crap! I finally wrote something! Silly college... will someone please remind me why I decided I wanted to be a chemist? Other than the fact that I somehow manage to spill chemicals on my hands every week in lab and I turn funny colors... like purple and black! grins Anyway, I wrote some angst and stuff. Thanks to NinjaSquirls for the beta! glomps

And no, I don't own FFVII or any of its characters, as much as I would like to. Nor do I own "Rest Stop" by Matchbox 20. Fucking life.

* * *

_  
Just three miles from the rest stop  
__And she slams on the breaks_

The first thing Zack noticed when he glanced over at the sleeping man in the passenger's seat of his car was that Sephiroth's hair looked like liquid silver in the faint moonlight that was streaming in through the window. He worried his bottom lip with his teeth, debating whether or not he should actually go through with this and when the best time would be. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a faint whisper penetrated his sleep-deprived thoughts, telling him that he shouldn't do this, that it could still work maybe if they both tried harder or if he was more flexible or _something_ to repair what fucked up, shattered state they had descended into. That faint, miniscule voice was drowned out by the rest of his mind yelling at him, telling him to end it now, to get out before everything got even worse. Zack didn't even notice the tears streaming down his face until he pulled over to the side of the road, turned on the emergency lights, and rested his forehead against the steering wheel.

_She said I tried to be but I'm not  
__And could you please collect your things_

At first glance, Sephiroth looked a great deal calmer than Zack knew he was; Zack could pick out the tiny, almost invisible signs that the silver-haired man was on the verge of losing his hard earned self control, down to the small, random twitches of his hand.

_I don't wanna be cold  
__I don't wanna be cruel  
__But I gotta find more  
__Than what's happening with you_

Zack tried not to break down as he rambled on and on, trying, almost desperately, to explain his decision to the older man, to keep the panic out of his voice, refusing to meet Sephiroth's gaze as the other man stared at him with eerily blank green eyes that were stunningly bright in the dark.

_If you'd - open up the door_

Sephiroth could barely hear Zack's apology, but it didn't matter. He didn't know what to do; for once in his life, Sephiroth was frozen, his mind completely hollow. So he settled for staring at the dark-haired man. They sat there in silence, the faint clicking of the emergency lights doing nothing to mask the sound of Zack's ragged, shallow breathing as the younger man choked back the sobs threatening to escape his mouth.

_She said - while you were sleeping  
__I was listening to the radio__And wondering what you're dreaming when  
__It came to mind that I didn't care_

Somehow, they both knew that it wouldn't last, that they shouldn't even try. Zack wanted to say that it was good while it lasted, but he didn't because they both knew that that was a lie. They tried, though, as much as they could, but somewhere, somehow something broke and although Zack looked as though he were about to lose it, he knew, deep down, that this relationship was doing more harm than good.

_So I thought - hell if it's over  
__I had better end it quick  
__Or I could lose my nerve  
__Are you listening - can you hear me_

Sephiroth hadn't moved in the five minutes since Zack had stopped the car; a part of him wanted to yell, to scream, to _feel_, but instead, he didn't, he couldn't, do anything. Zack whispered, barely loud enough for the older man to hear, that that was part of the problem.

_Have you forgotten_

In the beginning, they pretended like it would work, like they could help each other, and, for those first few precious weeks, they acted as though they were both wholly, truly happy. And they both hated living in a lie.

_Just three miles from the rest stop__And my mouth's too dry to rage_

Sephiroth tried to say something, but he stopped himself just before any sound actually left his mouth. He felt as though everything he could say had already been said, he _knew_ that anything he said would only make this situation worse.

_The light was shining from the radio  
__I could barely see her face_

The expression on Zack's face was unreadable as he pulled the car back out onto the highway, idly trying to find something to listen to on the radio just so that awkward, deafening silence wouldn't fill the car until they got back to Midgar.

_But she knew all the words that I never had said  
__She knew the crumpled-up promise of this  
__Broken down man - and as I opened up the door_

Sephiroth opted to stare out the window instead of going back to sleep. He tried to pinpoint the exact point where their relationship crumbled, and all of his flaws, his inexperience and awkward handling of the relationship came flooding back. Sephiroth resisted the urge to cry, to curl into a ball on the tiny seat, because he just couldn't let himself show any emotion; it was how he was raised. It was all he really knew, when it came down to the truth.

_She said - while you were sleeping  
__I was listening to the radio  
__And wondering what you're dreaming when  
__It came to mind that I didn't care  
__So I thought - hell if it's over  
__I had better end it quick  
__Or I could lose my nerve__Are you listening - can you hear me  
__Have you forgotten_

The rest of the drive was silent, save for the sound of the raindrops gently pounding against the car.


End file.
